Press Release  Attorney General's Office Sues Investment Firm for Obstructing Access to Stable, Affordable Housing for Over 70 Manufactured Housing Units in Taunton

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (AGO) today filed a lawsuit against The BoaVida Group and its related entities (collectively, “BoaVida”) for unfair and retaliatory rent increases at a Taunton manufactured housing community. BoaVida is a California-based manufactured housing investment firm that operates over 250 manufactured housing communities nationwide, including a 74-lot manufactured housing community in Taunton known as Willow Terrace Mobile Home Park (“Willow Terrace”).  

“As our residents living in manufactured housing communities continue to grapple with rising costs, the last thing they need is community owners violating their rights and our state laws by raising rents as a form of retaliation,” said AG Campbell. “I am proud to file this lawsuit as we seek relief for the affected residents.”  

The complaint alleges that since purchasing Willow Terrace in 2022, BoaVida unlawfully raised rents three times, cumulatively increasing rent from $302 to $535 per month, without offering five-year leases as required by the Manufactured Housing Act and the AGO’s manufactured housing regulations.  

Residents of Willow Terrace reported these concerns to the AGO, and the AGO notified BoaVida about these violations in March 2025. In response to the AGO’s investigation of the complaints, the company informed the AGO in May that it had lowered rents back down to the initial $302 per month, but a month later terminated residents’ existing tenancies and issued new leases that included an exorbitant rent increase to $703 per month effective October 1.  

The AGO’s lawsuit asserts that the lease terminations and the rent increase – 133% more than the current $302 per month rate – were made in retaliation against the tenants for reporting violations to the AGO. The rent increases are also unlawful because if BoaVida had previously complied with the law and offered residents a five-year lease, residents would have known their rental rate for at least five years. Instead, BoaVida’s actions have caused rents to become unstable and unpredictable, threatening the continued affordability of the community. 

In filing the lawsuit, the AGO asks the Court to order BoaVida to comply with the Manufactured Housing Act, as well as pay restitution and civil penalties.   

This matter is being handled by Assistant Attorneys General Ellen Peterson, Matthias Fressilli, Deputy Division Chief Michael Turi, and Paralegals Lois Martin and Sophia Immorlica, all of the AGO’s Consumer Protection Division, and Assistant Attorney General Jessica Rahmoune of the AGO’s Fair Labor Division, with assistance from Civil Investigators Marlee Leo and Edward Cherubin.  

This matter is representative of AG Campbell’s commitment to ensure access to safe and affordable housing for all across the Commonwealth. In September 2024, the Attorney General’s Office released an updated Guide to Manufactured Housing Community Law to provide additional clarifications and explanations on a range of key manufactured housing issues, including residency restrictions and community rules. This lawsuit also follows the Attorney General’s $10 million settlement earlier this month with Schweb Partners, LLC, a Springfield landlord who failed to maintain habitable housing conditions for over one thousand tenants. Consumers who believe they have been subjected to an unfair or deceptive business practice, including by a landlord or community owner, may file a consumer complaint with the AGO online by visiting mass.gov/ago/consumercomplaint.   

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